Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thinking
is great. But action makes things happen. One of the biggest
differences with people that successfully grow, expand themselves, and
reach their goals, is that they consistently take action.
Action takes energy though, so where does that energy come from? It
comes from within. Inspiration is a powerful force, and inspired action
is one of the most powerful ways to motivate yourself. It beats
“carrots and sticks.” Carrots and sticks are usually external forms of
motivation. Instead, if you inspire yourself, you light your fire from
the inside out.
Here are seven ways to light the fire and inspire yourself to take action:1. Be decisive. Decide. Make a decision and “go.”
If you waffle back and forth on things, or can’t make up your mind, you
spend a lot of energy in analysis paralysis. Instead, decide on
something you want, and test it. Take action and test your results.
The act of making a decision and taking action will build momentum, and
fuel your fire and fan your flames. Rather than trying to figure
everything out up front, start taking action, test your path, and learn
and adapt along the way.2. Act like you mean it. Maybe you
want to get in great shape, but are you acting like you mean it? How
many hours are you putting in each week? What routines are you trying?
Maybe you want to be a rockstar at work. Who are your mentors and
models? What bold actions are you taking that walk the talk? If you
act like you mean it, you’ll make better choices, show more confidence,
and build energy that helps you spiral up.3. Draw from inspirational words of wisdom.
Quotes are your friend. Whenever you need to summon your
inner-strength, it helps if you have little one-liner reminders that
keep you going. One of my favorites is by Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”4. Stand on the “shoulders of giants.”
Find some role models and heroes to use to lift your spirits and paint a
canvas of possibility. Just having some examples under your belt can
inspire you to new levels. For example, for me, I always look to the
amazing physical and philosophical accomplishments of Bruce Lee.
Chances are, no matter what problem or challenge you’re up against,
somebody’s been there and done that. If not exactly, then at least you
can draw from similar experiences.5. Play the favorite scenes in your mind.
We all have favorite scenes from movies over the years. It’s those
scenes of triumph, or courage, or an incredible move that inspires us.
Have these at your mental fingertips and draw from them. Continue to
fill and expand your collection by paying attention to the scenes that
move you. You can also draw from scenes in real life. We all have our
shining moments. Keep those close, and think of them as flash cards to
whip out when you need it most. Simply see the scene in your mind,
remember the feeling, and use that to fire you up.6. Shift to the future. Dwelling on
the past is a quick way to bring yourself down. To lift yourself up,
switch to the future and envision the possibilities. See what’s
possible. This is where hope springs from. By having a compelling
vision, you have something to shoot for. Now instead of having to
“push” yourself to something, you will literally be “pulled” by it.
Like a magnet. The more compelling the vision, the stronger the “pull”
will be. A few simple ways to shift to the future are … “How can I
solve this?” … or “What would good look like?” … or “What’s the end in
mind?” Questions are a powerful way to shift gears.7. Connect to your values. You can
connect everything you do to your values. This is a powerful way to
inspire yourself with skill. For example, let’s say you value
“continuous learning” or “growth”. Whenever you take on a task, ask
yourself, “What can I learn from this?” or “How can I improve this?”
Simply by connecting to your values, you tap into your inner source of
power. Your values fuel you and get you jazzed. For example, one of my
values is, “adventure”, so at work, I turn every project into an “epic
adventure” and make it about the journey. There’s always a big villain
or challenge to conquer, and an epic win to shoot for. And plenty of
“growth” along the way.
These are proven practices for inspiring yourself with skill. Now
the question of course is, what are you going to do with all your
inspiration?

J.D. Meier is a Principal Program Manager on the Microsoft
Enterprise Strategy team. He shares proven practices for personal
excellence at Sources of Insight.com (http://SourcesOfInsight.com.)
He’s the author of eight technical books, and his first non-technical
book is Getting Results the Agile Way, which you can read for free at
Getting Results.com (http://GettingResults.com.)Photo by AGeekMom

"8. Write in a journal. Writing in a journal helps you
sort out and make sense of whatever it is that you’re feeling. If you
feel stressed, angry, sad, or confused, write it down and get it out in
front of you. It’s a great way to empty out all the negative feelings
and thoughts."